Pedals for CX?

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I've been using good ol' Shimano 520 SPDs...and having a real bugger of a time getting clipped back in. No way can I even think about trying to do a rolling start. Even at a complete stop I struggle just to get re-clipped-in.

Part of this is certainly because I am a noob--and a particularly uncoordinated noob, at that--but I wonder if there are pedal systems out there that are a little easier to catch. I frequently find that I slip all over trying to get the cleat where it belongs, or I will *think* I'm clipped-in, only to discover that I'm not.

I lose SO much time on mounts and dismounts, as is. I'm reasonably speedy when I'm on the flats, but every obstacle/barrier slows me down as slower riders zip by me.

[Eden]

Your shoes could be a factor - if the cleats are recessed sometimes it helps to trim a bit around the recess to allow easier access.

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Your shoes could be a factor - if the cleats are recessed sometimes it helps to trim a bit around the recess to allow easier access.

Ahhh...that's something I had kind of forgotten about. I'm going to have to take a look to see if that might help. They look like this:
http://www.cycletech.co.nz/images/products/2348.jpg

I also wonder if it might help to remove that removable carbon piece under the arch. It's there to stiffen the shoe, which probably helped when I was using these shoes on my road bike (I actually ended up buying the road version of the shoe when I made the switch to dedicated road pedals), but a bit more flex would be nice for the off-bike parts of CX and mtn. biking. If that were gone I would probably be able to pedal enough to get moving with my pedals under my arch, then clip-in (which always seems easier once I'm moving--I need to learn how to do a moving mount one of these days, as well as unclip without coming to a complete stop).

[Hi Ho Silver]

Take a look at Shimano's M530 pedals. One MTB web site gave them a great review and indicated that they are much better than the M520's. ( See http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/pedals/product/review-shimano-m530-trail-pedal-45093 ).


Jean

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Hmmm...these use the same cleats (so I could have my current pedals on my mtn. bike and the 530s on my CX bike), I assume?

[bluebug32]

I used Crank Brothers Candies or Egg Beaters. I've never had a problem with them, even in mud.

[Hi Ho Silver]

Hmmm...these use the same cleats (so I could have my current pedals on my mtn. bike and the 530s on my CX bike), I assume?

Yes, they should be totally compatible with the cleats for the M520's that you are currently using.

I've googled around to find comments about these pedals, and most reports are good. However, I haven't read any info about how well they perform when you are riding in muddy conditions (i.e., whether or not mud build up on the smallish platform impedes entry).

[zoom-zoom]

Fortunately we don't get a ton of mud in these parts. Our soil is really sandy, so even when we get a lot of rain it tends to soak in fast. Most of the people I know riding with regular 520 or 540 SPDs seem to not have major mud issues. I know a lot of people on Time ATACs, too.

[Owlie]

Not a cross racer or anything of the sort, but: I have M540s on my roadie, and the one time I had to walk the bike through dirt*, I had a heck of a time clipping back in or out until I stopped and dug the gunk out of the cleat with a stick. That didn't help much--I had to hose my shoes down.

*It wasn't so much dirt as a wet mixture of clay, sand and bits of rock. I think the composition didn't help anything--I'm pretty sure it's one step shy of cement!

[zoom-zoom]

Not a cross racer or anything of the sort, but: I have M540s on my roadie, and the one time I had to walk the bike through dirt*, I had a heck of a time clipping back in or out until I stopped and dug the gunk out of the cleat with a stick. That didn't help much--I had to hose my shoes down.

*It wasn't so much dirt as a wet mixture of clay, sand and bits of rock. I think the composition didn't help anything--I'm pretty sure it's one step shy of cement!

That sounds like the soil where my DH grew up in central IL.

My hubby thought of something else that might be making things a bit trickier. I have the BikeFit.com cleats that have a 1º tilt built-in. I'm going to switch back to regular cleats to see if that helps (perfect alignment isn't nearly as big an issue for a 30ish minute race or bombing-around on my mountain bike as it was when I was doing 50+ milers on my road bike with the SPD pedals and these shoes). I'm also going to see if putting some patches of duct tape on the slippery carbon bits of the forefoot of my shoes helps. Once I'm moving I seem to have an easier time getting clipped-in. I need to learn how to do a rolling mount (and dismount), like the skilled CX folks do!

[Owlie]

Our soil is mostly clay with a bit of topsoil thrown on! This was from a drainage ditch (for a bridge that goes over the bike trail) that had a massive slide after a heavy rainstorm, so it's hardly representative of the area. (The clay is, though!)